Residents pass a destroyed car as they walk through a tornado-ravaged neighborhood in Moore, Okla., where damage is expected to exceed the $3 billion caused by the May 22, 2011, storm in Joplin, Mo., 215 miles to the northeast.

CMS eliminates barrier to ACA Individual Mandate Exemption
Consumers who abandoned the Obamacare exchanges this year are entitled to a “hardship” exemption to the individual mandate penalty, CMS publicized Wednesday. This will directly affect people who chose to go uninsured or who enrolled in coverage that doesn’t comply with Obamacare protocols. This follows the agency’s April guidance that expanded the exemption to people who live in rural counties or have claims going back to 2016, but applicants still had to give a written explanation for why they required the exemption.